MONSTERS UNIVERSITY Review - Pixar Wins Again!

If you liked Monsters Inc., you're going to love Monsters University. The first film was fantastic, and it will live on as a classic, but I honestly thought Monsters University was a better, more entertaining movie. The main reason I like this prequel more is because I got to see the backstory of how Sulley and Mike met and became lifelong friends. Heart, soul, and entertainment is at the core of almost every Pixar film, but this one is brilliant in the way they expanded this Monsters world. 

Beside the story, what makes the movie pop with greatness is the college setting and all of the new monstrous characters. Anyone that got a little taste of college life will have a fun connection to this movie. College is freakin' hard, and you've got to work your butt off to get through it. College might not even be something everyone is cut out for, and this story focuses on the struggling underdogs that rise to the challenge and show the world what they're really made of. 

It's an inspiring film that teaches the valuable lesson of believing in yourself. One of the main things that Pixar is trying to get across is that life isn't perfect, we all have dreams, and we all make plans, but sometimes those dreams and plans fall through and we end up taking a little detour through life. For example, I originally wanted to work in the field of animation, but life took me on the path of being a writer and movie blogger. I got a chance to talk to some people working at Pixar, and I found it interesting that a couple of them started out wanting to be doctors and lawyers, but now they work in animation. They say there are tons of stories like that. Life is crazy, but if we push forward and persevere we'll end up in the place we belong. That's the main theme of the movie, it's just told through this fictional world with our favorite Monsters characters. 

There are a lot of great new characters in movie as well, but my favorite is Art, voiced by Charlie Day. He's the crazy funny college student with the sketchy past that everyone loves. But all of the new characters that Mike and Sulley surround themselves with are great, and there are certain aspects of each that people of all ages will be able to connect with. 

One of the other reasons I like this film so much is that it had a relatable story. I can relate to what Mike and some of the other characters were going through. The first movie was fun, adventurous, and cute, but I didn't really connect with the characters. Monsters University gives us that connection with them. The fact that we get to know the background of these characters makes Monsters Inc. a better, more relatable film. We now know why Mike and Sulley make an awesome team. It opened up this world even more, and expanded the possibilities of what Pixar might end up doing in the future.

I really hope Pixar revisits this Monsters universe again either as another film or a series of shorts like what they are doing with Toy Story. Now that I think about it, I actually like this franchise more than the Toy Story franchise now. This was a perfect Pixar movie.

Both kids and adults are going to enjoy this movie. I had a chance to take my kids to see the film as well, and they absolutely loved it. As soon as the movie ended they wanted to watch it again, so that's obviously a good sign. They now are aspiring to go to Monsters University, which is perfect because they're a couple of crazy monsters anyway. They'll fit right in.

There's also a short film that will play before Monster University called The Blue Umbrella, and it's amazingly adorable. It also features a very realistic style of animation that we aren't used to seeing from Pixar. It's photo-realistic, and it's so well done that you'll be second guessing whether it's actually animated or not. 

I'm excited for you all to see this movie, so when it's released in theaters on June 21st, I hope you go out and see it!